Foundation The Architect

Chapter 4

The luxury car came to a smooth stop right in front of the lobby of an old office building, contrasting sharply with the row of skyscrapers surrounding it. Victor turned off the engine, then glanced back through the rearview mirror. His knowing eyes regarded me with certainty.

"We have arrived, Master H," Victor said. His voice was low, almost a whisper that blended with the silence of the car cabin.

I straightened the collar of my custom-made suit, feeling the smooth silk texture at my fingertips. This feeling was very unfamiliar, yet it felt right.

"Is everything ready inside?" I asked.

"Mr. Yudha, the representative of the landowners' consortium, is waiting in the small meeting room on the ground floor. Ms. Dione and Mr. Thorne have also been there for the last ten minutes," Victor replied.

I nodded slowly. "Good. Stay here, Victor. I won't be long."

"As you command, Architect," he said, opening the car door from the inside.

I stepped out. The humid morning air hit my face, but there was no longer any doubt accompanying it. Every step I took on the sidewalk felt like the pounding of a hammer driving in a new foundation. I walked past the slightly blurry glass lobby doors, heading toward a corner where voices of an argument began to filter through.

There, in a room with a long wooden table whose surface was already scratched, I saw them. Clara Dione dominated the space in a striking bright red suit. Beside her, Marcus Thorne leaned back in his chair with his familiar arrogant smirk.

Facing them, a middle-aged man wearing worn batik—Mr. Yudha—was sweating profusely, holding a stack of documents with trembling hands.

"Listen, Mr. Yudha," Clara's voice cut sharply through the lobby silence. "That old harbor land is just useless swamp to everyone except Dione Infra. Without the infrastructure connections we possess, that land is nothing more than a dumping ground."

"But Ms. Dione," Mr. Yudha interjected, his voice trembling, "the price you offered isn't even enough to cover our consortium's tax debt for the last two years. We need at least a fair market price."

Marcus let out a laugh, a dry and condescending sound. "Market price? Mr. Yudha, *we* are the market. No sane investor wants to touch that land besides us. Take the offer now, or tomorrow morning we'll ensure that road access permits to that land are frozen forever."

"That... that's extortion," Mr. Yudha whispered.

"It's business, old man," Clara retorted coolly. "Now, sign this contract before I change my mind and lower the price by another ten percent."

I stood about five meters from them, hidden behind a large pillar supporting the lobby ceiling. I could see the despair in Mr. Yudha's eyes. This was how Clara worked—crushing her opponents until they felt they had no choice but to surrender.

I stepped out from behind the pillar. The sound of my shoes hitting the marble lobby floor drew their attention.

"It seems you've underestimated the value of that land, Ms. Dione," I said, my voice echoing in the small room.

Clara flinched. She turned quickly, her annoyed expression instantly shifting to deep shock as her eyes met mine. However, the surprise lasted only a second before being replaced by contempt.

"Henry?" Clara asked, her voice rising an octave. "What are you doing here? And... where did you get that suit? Did you steal it?"

Marcus stood up, his face reddening from annoyance. "This parasite again. Didn't you hear what I said at the party? You're finished, Henry. Get out of here before I call security to drag you out."

I didn't look at them. I walked straight toward Mr. Yudha, who was staring at me in confusion and hope.

"Good morning, Mr. Yudha," I said pleasantly. "I hear you're looking for a buyer who appreciates the historical and strategic value of the Nexus Gateway land."

Mr. Yudha blinked repeatedly. "Y-yes, sir... excuse me, who are you?"

"My name is Henry Collins. But for this transaction, you can call me the representative of The Foundation," I replied, pulling up a chair and sitting directly across from Clara.

Clara burst out laughing, a laugh filled with contempt. "The Foundation? Henry, you must really have gone insane because I broke up with you. What is this? A new drama? You want to be a hero for these bankrupt landowners with your spare change?"

"Henry," Marcus interjected, stepping forward as if to intimidate me. "You were just evicted from your own apartment two days ago. Stop embarrassing yourself. Leave now before I completely destroy your already ruined life."

I looked at Marcus coolly. "My life isn't ruined, Marcus. I just finished clearing out the trash."

Marcus's face hardened. "What did you say?"

"Shut up, Marcus," Clara cut in, her eyes still scrutinizing me. She was trying to find a loophole, looking for signs that I was pretending. "Henry, I don't know what game you're playing. But Dione Infra has already made an official offer of ten million dollars for this land. And that is the highest offer Mr. Yudha will get."

I smiled faintly, a smile I hadn't given her in the last five years. "Ten million? For land that will become the heart of future clean energy distribution? That's not an offer, Clara. That's an insult."

I turned back to Mr. Yudha. "Mr. Yudha, what is the actual market price you're asking for?"

"W-we valued the land at around thirty million dollars, Mr. Collins," Mr. Yudha replied in a small voice. "But Ms. Dione said..."

"Forget what she said," I cut in firmly. "I offer sixty million dollars. Two hundred percent of the market price you requested. Cash. Today."

Silence instantly enveloped the lobby. Mr. Yudha dropped his pen onto the floor. Clara was frozen in her chair, her mouth slightly agape in disbelief. Even the arrogant Marcus seemed speechless for a few seconds.

"Sixty... sixty million?" Mr. Yudha whispered, his voice almost gone.

"You're lying!" Clara shrieked, her voice high-pitched as it broke the silence. "You don't have that much money! Sixty million dollars? You couldn't even pay your credit card bill last month!"

"Henry, this is out of line," Marcus approached the table, pointing his finger at my face. "Do you think this is a game? You think you can just walk in here and name random numbers to sabotage our negotiation? This is illegal action. I can sue you for business sabotage!"

I remained calm, reaching into my inner suit pocket and pulling out the solid black card that Victor had given me. I placed it on the table, directly in front of Mr. Yudha. The card seemed to absorb the lobby lights, radiating an undeniable aura of power.

"Please inspect this card, Mr. Yudha," I said quietly. "There is an authorization number on the back that you can call directly to the central bank to verify fund liquidity."

Mr. Yudha took the card with trembling hands. He looked at the card, then at me, then back at Clara, whose face had gone as white as paper.

"This... this is an unlimited Black Card?" Mr. Yudha mumbled, who seemed knowledgeable enough about the world of elite banking to recognize the item.

"Henry, where did you get that card?" Clara stood up, her voice trembling between rage and fear. "Who gave it to you? Who did you con to get access to this fake account?"

"Stop asking 'who,' Clara," I replied, staring into her eyes. "You should be asking 'when'."